


7 Fires and a Proposal

by Kaymardsa



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Accidents, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Alternate Universe - Non-Magical, Best Friends, Eventual James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Eventual Sirius Black/Remus Lupin, F/M, Fire, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Friends to Lovers, Fun, Gen, Hogwarts, Humor, M/M, Male Friendship, Marauders, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Marauders Friendship (Harry Potter), Modern Marauders (Harry Potter), Moony Wormtail Padfoot and Prongs, Oops, Other, Queer Character, Queer Themes, Short & Sweet, Timeline Shenanigans, jilly - Freeform, wolfstar
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:35:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27939806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaymardsa/pseuds/Kaymardsa
Summary: Fires always seemed to follow the marauders.Sirius sets fire by accident- the idea that something could go wrong just seems forever lost on him.Remus sets fires intentionally- out of necessity or educational purposes, of course.James has accepted that some things may cause a fire, but is unburdened by the desire to play it safe.Pete avoids setting fire at all costs, but finds it amusing when it happens to everyone else.As always in my fics wolfstar is OTP**No one gets hurt, ever. It's all just silly, stupid shenanigans and luck (or lack of).
Relationships: James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Comments: 26
Kudos: 37





	1. Rum Cake

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Smorefan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Smorefan/gifts).



> Gifted to Smorefan, whose hilarious comments on 'Time May Change Me' were the inspiration for this light fic. 
> 
> These chapters will be short, fun little snippets of individual moments, and not an actual entire story. Going to try to post one a day.

Small fires in Home Economics class weren't unusual for 4th period on Tuesdays at Hogwarts school. In fact, they were so common that most of the students from Ravenclaw had stopped bringing their bags into the classroom at all. Something about the sprinklers ruining their books and notes... 

When that particular trend started Sirius and James had quite a good time openly mocking the other house for what they had deemed _'unnecessary ridiculousness and paranoia'._ But standing there now, getting soaked to the skin as the fire alarms blared across the campus for the third time that term, he had to admit that maybe they had a point. 

"Alright Pads...." Remus said, sighing deeply as he rang the excess water from the edges of his coat. "How in the _actual fuck_ does someone set a glass of _water_ on fire?"

Sirius laughed nervously while James, Pete, Remus blinked expectantly back at him. 

"Well... you see..." he chuckled lightly. "It wasn't _exactly_ water in the _conventional..._ ya know... H2O sense of the word."

"Oh. My. Godric." James said, trying very hard to hide his grin while Pete laughed openly, and Remus began rubbing his temples as though fending off an oncoming migraine. "What did you do?"

"Rum." Remus deadpanned. "It was rum wasn't it?"

Sirius nodded, closing his eyes to keep himself from seeing James's reaction. Because if James started laughing he would start laughing, and he really didn't want to be caught laughing on the lawn by Mcgonagall during a fire evacuation. _Again._

"Rum!?" Pete wheezed. "Why on earth would you just be walking around class with a measuring cup full of _rum?"_

"We were making cake Wormy!" Sirius said defensively, tossing his arms up in exasperation. "Have you never had rum cake?! It is superior to _all_ other cakes!"

"He's got a point" James said, nodding fervently in agreement. "Mum makes this one that-" he cut himself off at the look Remus shot him. "You know what... it's probably not important. 

"I didn't know rum was so.... flammable" Sirius shrugged, leading their group as they were given the all clear to head back into the building. 

"We literally _just_ discussed this at length in Chem" Remus said in the half-annoyed, half-amused tone that Sirius had grown to love.

"No one pays attention to ole Sluggy but you Moons" Pete said, holding the door for the others as they made their way in through the oak front doors with the rest of the school. 

"Well..." Remus said, laughing lightly as they climbed the stairs. "I just thought that talking about alcohol in class would have piqued your interest in Chemistry a _tiny_ bit..."

"Nah" James and Pete chorused together.

"In my defense..." Sirius said ringing a few droplets of water from his hair onto the stone floor, "you know that I have _very_ poor listening skills."

 _"There_ it is" Remus said, slow clapping his hands dramatically and shaking his head. 

They had nearly made it to the common room entrance when a loud voice rang out behind them

 ** _"Black!"_**

Sirius winced slightly, but put on his best winning smile as he turned to face his head of house. _"Minnie!_ How are you doing on this lovely afternoo-"

"Detention" she said simply before turning in a huff and storming back down the stairs, leaving a puddle of water where she stood while the boys hid their laughter behind their hands until she had gone. 

"I love that woman" Sirius sighed.


	2. For Science

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hypothesis is the first step in the scientific method.

"I don't know Moons" Pete said, peaking over his friends shoulder. "This looks pretty sketch to me." 

Remus looked up at his friend with a deep sigh and rolled his eyes pointedly before turning back to their dorm bathtub, which he had claimed as a work space for their group science project. 

"We're in the tub. We have safety goggles and gloves. We have a fire extinguisher..." Remus listed off the safety tactics as he continued to work, hunched over the side of the tub. 

"And we know the sprinklers work in here since _Padfoot_ set fire to the bath rug first year" James smirked, earning himself a middle finger from Sirius.

"Honestly..." Remus snorted, still not looking up. "What 11 year old takes a bath with fucking _incense?"_

"We have been over this a _thousand_ times. It was a vibe, Remus" Sirius deadpanned. 

"Oh my Godric" Pete sighed. "Can we let it go and focus on the _current_ potential bathroom death trap, please!"

"It'll be fine, Wormy" James laughed, giving him a brotherly slap on the back. "But if it makes you feel better, you can hold the extinguisher." He passed the metal can over to Pete who took it gratefully and held it close to his chest. 

Several minutes passed by as the friends watched Remus work. Pete had a decent point... it looked sketch as hell... but they _needed_ to win the science fair this year and a volcano that had lava that turns to ice would be a game changer for sure.

"Alright, I _think_ that should be ok.." Remus said brushing his hands onto his jeans as he stood up.

"You ....t _hink?"_ Pete said, taking a few tentative stepals backward toward the door.

"Well if I knew for sure it would work we wouldn't need the fire extinguisher Pete" Remus said, rolling his eyes playfully and passing out goggles to the others.

"I _don't_ like this...." Pete said, taking a few more steps away. "I just... that's a _lot_ of chemicals."

"Remus knows what he's doing" Sirius said, confidently. "Right Rem?"

Remus just shrugged and pushed his goggles up a little. "The first step in the scientific method is hypothesis" he said, picking up the detonator with a grin. "I took an educated guess. You know... _for science.."_

"Yea Wormy! For science!" James grinned as he and Sirius each grabbed an elbow and moved Pete closer, pulling their goggles down as they smiled and nodded.

"Ready?"

_"Ready!"_

"3... 2... 1...."

_**BOOOOM!** _

  
Even though the explosion was louder than it was dangerous, a small fire did get away from them. The sprinklers were activated almost immediately from the smoke, and Remus had quickly snatched the extinguisher away from Pete- who was frozen in shock- to spray over the lingering flames. 

Stumbling out of the bathroom, coughing aggressively, but still finding breath enough to laugh, they fell out into a heap in the middle of their dorm. Over the sprinklers and alarms they could hear the stampede of Gryffindors making their way down the stairs and out of the common room to evacuate. 

"Think we should head down too?" James asked, still laughing as he pulled himself off the of the floor. 

"Well we know there is no _actual_ fire now.... Sirius said, flicking away a puff of foam and making himself comfortable in the chaos by laying down with his hands resting behind his head. "Might as well just wait it out."

"Yea, it's not like they are going to know right away it was us." Remus shrugged. "Since we have a little time, it might be better to get started cleaning it up now before Mcgonaga-"

**BANG! BANG! BANG!**

All 4 marauders jumped, looking anxiously to the door as the locked handle jiggled futilely.

 _"Open this door right now!"_ Professor Mcgonagall shouted angrily. " _What on earth could you have possibly done this time!? Open up!_ "

Sirius turned to Remus from his spot on the floor with a wide grin. "I think it's for you, mate."


	3. Starting Over

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sirius leaves home to start over at the Potters.

Sirius sprinted up the stairs to his room and slammed the door, locking it behind him as angry tears streamed down his face. He had had enough of the abuse, enough of the slurs, and enough of the _fear._ It was time to go. He was leaving, and he would never _ever_ come back.

He grabbed a bag from the closet and began stuffing random things into it, not fully aware of what he was actually packing, but needing something to do with his hands while his brain worked out a plan. 

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

"Sirius it's me" He heard his brother mumble through the door. "Come on, let me in."

He unlocked the door but didn't open it, so Regulus let himself in quietly. 

"What are you doing?" He asked, watching in confusion as Sirius stuffed a small album of photos from their childhood, and a random ugly tie from the floor into the bag. 

"I'm leaving" Sirius said breathlessly. "What does it look like..."

"You're just... you're _leaving?"_

Sirius stopped abruptly and turned to face his brother. "Come with me" he said earnestly, piercing Regulus with a look that begged. 

"What?" He breathed. "I can't just leave... I _can't..."_ he shook his head and took a few steps away from Sirius as if he had realized he was too near a lunatic. 

"Fine. Stay." Sirius said coldly. "Guess I'll just see you around." He threw open his bedroom window and unceremoniously tossed the bag he had packed down to the ground. 

"Are you actually pissed off that I don't want to be _homeless?"_ Regulus asked defensively. "You're such a twat! What are you going to do for food and shelter Sirius, huh!? This is _madness!"_

"James" Sirius said simply, putting one foot out of the window as he took a last look around the disheveled room. 

"Siri..." Regulus choked, and this time there was a longing sadness in his voice. "Don't..."

 _"Come with me"_ Sirius said again, and they stared at each other for several long moments before they heard his mother let out another bellowing screech as she stomped up the stares, making both boys jump. 

Regulus looked anxiously at the door then back at his brother. _"Go"_ he said breathlessly. "Before she comes."

"I'll see you around" Sirius said, giving him a sharp nod he hoped relayed everything he was feeling. 

Regulus opened the door, turning to give his brother a small smile and nod before he slipped out and back to his own room. 

This was it. 

  
Two hours later Sirius was sitting cross-legged with James on the bed in the spare room that was now his as he told James everything that had happened. 

"I can't believe Kreacher just outed you like that" James said, shaking his head. "I mean, I guess I can.... but _damn..."_

"Yea.." Sirius sighed, turning sharply toward the open door as the doorbell rang through the house. 

"That'll be Pete and Rem" James said as he jumped down from the bed. "I called for reinforcements."

James met them in the hall and lead them up to the room where Sirius was now splayed across the bed. 

"Nice place you got here Pads" Remus said, giving Sirius a playful grin as he plopped down on the bed next to him. 

"Thanks" Sirius deadpanned. He wasn't really in a playful mood, but he was grateful for the normalcy that Remus's sarcasm afforded him. "It's a step up from my last place."

James caught them up on everything that had happened while Sirius stayed there on the bed exhausted from the day, but somehow feeling more free than he ever had in his life. 

"Fuck them" Remus said with heat when James had finished. He have gave Sirius a gentle shake to get his attention, and as their eyes met Sirius's heart skipped a beat. _"Fuck them"_ he said again. "Ok?"

Sirius nodded silently as Pete and James both agreed with enthusiasm, and before he knew it all three of his best friends were jumping up and down on the bed, shouting "fuck them" loudly as they tried to shove each other onto the floor in turn. It wasn't until Effie called up to stop the cursing that they turned their attention to the single bag Sirius had brought along. 

"Let's get your stuff put away" James said cheerfully, unzipping the bag he had tossed onto the bed. 

He peaked into it and rummaged around for a moment with a confused look on his face. 

"What the fuck _is_ this stuff" he chuckled, pulling a small broken lamp shade out of the bag and setting it down on the table gently. 

"I don't know" Sirius said with a shrug. "I was upset and just threw a bunch of stuff in the bag." He started laughing as James pulled out the ugly tie, followed by what looked like the base of the model rocket he had never built. "I couldn't tell you what's in there if my life depended on it."

"Well if I were running away from home and never coming back, _this_ is definitely the first thing I would take with me" Remus said, pulling out the torn tutu skirt Sirius had worn with his Cyndi Lauper costume on Halloween two years ago. 

They had a good time going through the random objects that Sirius's half dazed brain had decided were worthy to carry across town on a bike. There wasn't really any rhyme or reason to anything there. He was completely starting over, but that was alright. He had Hogwarts, which always felt more like home than the prison he was raised in. He had Monty and Effie, who were already like parents to him anyway... and he had the three best friends on the entire planet.

"I don't want any of this.... _shit"_ he said with a deep sigh, shoving it all back into the bag and zipping it closed. Tears had started to well up in his eyes as the full weight of emotion hit him. "I just want to start over, ya know?" he sniffled. 

"Yea" James said, throwing an arm around his shoulder and giving his a squeeze as Peter and Remus joined in for a group hug. "We know."

They stood there, huddle together next to the bed like that for a long time. Sirius let the tears come in full force, feeling as though his body was cleansing itself of the pain with every drop that fell as his friends held onto him for dear life. 

"I've got an idea" Remus said, straightening up as Sirius's crying slowly subsided. 

He grabbed the small metal trash bin next to the desk and emptied the few contents onto the floor. Reaching into his pocket he turned to Sirius, the bin still in one hand as he pulled a lighter out with the other. "You sure you don't want any of this stuff?" 

"I'm sure" Sirius nodded. 

So they burned it all. 

Sirius kept one photograph of him and Regulus from the album before tossing it in. It was after Sirius's first junior soccer match, taken by Andromeda before the family disowned her, and was one of the rare photos of the brothers smiling together. 

The four of them stood there in the middle of the room as the flames burned away Sirius's past. 

"Maybe we should have done this outside" Peter said into the silence as the flames grew. 

"It's probably fine" James said, waving his hand dismissively. 

"I'm going to have to go with Wormy on this one...." Remus said, taking a step back as the flames continued to rise. 

"I'll go get some water and-" 

Sirius's words were cut short as the smoke detector began to blare, and Monty burst through the door with the extinguisher. 

"What the hell happened?!" Effie squeaked, ushering the boys out of the bedroom door while Monty sprayed down the bin. 

"Sirius wanted to start over" James said shyly. 

Something in Sirius's eyes must have moved her because her expression softened immediately, and she pulled him into a deep hug. 

"Next time use the fire place, dear." 


	4. Bonfire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> James is in charge of the bonfire.  
> I think we all know where this is going...

The opening game bonfire was a huge tradition at Hogwarts, and as captain of the soccer team in 7th year- and despite the vocal protests from Mcgonagall- James was in charge of lighting the flames. He may have intimate, practiced knowledge of the schools sprinkler system and fire exit strategy, but outside by the lake... there were _no rules._

There were also no fire extinguishers, as Peter had been first to point out. 

"Why would we need a fire extinguisher" Sirius laughed. "We're right by the _lake."_

"Yea" James said, grinning as he patted Pete on the back. "Last time I checked you can't set water on fire, right Moony?" He looked to Remus who busy rummaging around in his oversized school bag he had brought with him. 

"Hydrogen is flammable" he said distractedly, his voice muffled as he pulled his jumper over his. "But oxygen isn't."

"So... in short...?" James urged.

"No. You cannot set plain water on fire." He said, looking up with an amused grin on his face. "Honestly. We are going to Uni next year! This is the most basic-"

 _"Blah blah_ science... _blah blah_ stop being lazy fucks" Sirius said, grinning slightly and waving his hand dismissively. "We know the speech..." he added, laughing as he dodged a kick from Remus. 

"You guys seen Lily?" James asked, no longer paying any attention to them as he scanned the crowd of students making their way to the bonfire site. "I asked her if she wanted to hang out and she said-"

 _"No?"_ Remus finished playfully.

"I'm going to go with _'hell no'..."_ Sirius said, his finger on his chin as if in deep thought. 

" _Not even if it were a choice between you and a giant squid_ " Pete added matter-of-factly. 

"Ha. Ha" James deadpanned as he gave his friends the middle finger. "She said-and I quote- 'Maybe. If I don't have anything better come up'" he sighed happily, as though she had accepted his proposal of marriage or something. "It's happening. Tonight is _the_ night."

"You say that _every_ night." Peter said.

"And every night ends up _not_ being the night" Remus added.

"Let one go once in a while Prongs" Sirius said, barely concealing his smirk. 

_"Never!"_

As Dumbledore finished his speech and gave the signal to light the fire, James caught Lily's eye. He gave her his best winning smile and a small wave as he flicked his lighter, his heart dancing as she gave him a small smile and wave back. 

It wasn't really that hard to light a bonfire. I mean, the thing was kinda hard to miss. But James was.... distracted. 

And it was for _that_ reason Dumbledore could be seen sprinting across the grass to the lake with his school robes in flames. 

"Well" Remus said quietly as they all watched in horror. "Doesn't look like tonight's going to be the night either Prongs..."


	5. Flaming Tequila Shots

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First weekend at Uni so the gang heads out for a club crawl.  
> Sirius and Remus get intimate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't try this at home kids 😉 
> 
> (but really... don't. It's dangerous as fuck.)

It was their first weekend at Uni, so obviously the boys had to hit up a local club that they heard about through the grapevine on campus. Lily and Mary met them at the bar, and it didn't take long for the two girls to pull Pete and James out onto the dance floor. 

Sirius was usually right there with them in the middle of the madness. His long dark hair and his ripped jeans typically attracted _all_ the people, and he loved being the life of any party. But something about leaving Remus at the bar didn't sit well tonight. 

Maybe it was the way his henley was hugging his chest, or the sultry side-eye he was being given from the chick two barstools down. Maybe it was the wingman in Sirius not wanting his best friend left on his own their first pub crawl in the new city... who knows.

Deciding not to dwell on reasons why so early in the night, Sirius took his seat next to Remus and waited for the bartender to come their way. 

"Not dancing?" Remus said, raising his voice over the music. 

"Nah" Sirius called back, leaning in slightly to be heard without shouting as he gestured to where Lily and James were dancing next to Pete and Mary. "If I'm going to watch those heteros grind all over each other all night, I'm going need to be at least _this_ wasted." He raised his hand to chest level as a measurement. "And if, _God forbid,_ they start making out on the dance floor again..." he silently raised his hand a little higher to nose level, and Remus laughed. 

The bartender walked over and greeted them cheerfully. He looked to be close to their age, and Sirius felt a familiar- and wholely unwelcome- wave of jealousy when he touched Remus on the arm. 

"My friend needs to be _this_ drunk" Remus said, raising his hand to Sirius's chest level, just as he had done. "What do you recommend?"

The man laughed and nodded his head knowingly, "well the flaming tequila shots seem to be the hit tonight" he gestured down the bar where shot glasses were being lit like candles. "You drop the shot in a beer and chug. A few of those will definitely get you _here."_ He put his hand up to his own chest with a chuckle. "Want to give it a go?"

Sirius and Remus looked at each other, then back at the man. 

_"Yes."_   
_"Definitely."_

The bartender brought the shots, the mugs of beer, and a lighter. 

"Can I light it?" Remus asked, giving the man a flirtatious smile. 

"Sure thing" he smiled back with a wink, handing the lighter over before moving down the bar to take another order. 

"How do you know how to do this?" Sirius asked, and he was surprised at how out breath he was. 

"Honestly Padfoot" Remus laughed, "this is all _science."_

"Oh yea? Tell me about it..." he said, surprising himself that he actually wanted to know.

As Remus lit the shots and explained about the properties of the alcohol versus those of the beer, Sirius's heart began to beat faster. 

What the fuck.   
What the _fuck._   
_What the actual fucking fuck!_

Remus dropped his shot into his glass and nodded for Sirius to do the same. Then they chugged. 

Sirius, having had the most practice of all of them in chugging alcohol, finished first. 

He watched as a Remus finished the last few gulps before setting his mug down with a flourish, laughing as a small drip made its way passed his jaw to his neck. 

Almost as if it were instinct, as if it was something he did regularly out of muscle memory, Sirius lifted his hand to wipe it away at the same time as Remus, and their hands touched.

 _"Sorry..."_ Sirius said nervously, turning his attention to the bartender who was making his way back over. 

"Another, please" he said, pointedly avoiding Remus's gaze. 

The bartender refilled their mugs and passed them back, then took the lighter and lit the shots. 

Sirius scooted one of the shots over to Remus, who was looking at him in surprise, his hand still placed on his neck where Sirius had touched. 

Sirius stared back, searching his friends face for some sort of explanation, but not getting one. He noticed that in the awkwardness of whatever sexual tension he was feeling, Remus hadn't actually gotten the drip that was now well passed his neck and making it's way to his collarbone. So, not breaking eye contact, he slowly lifted his hand to wipe it away. 

Something in Remus's look shifted. Or maybe it was just the flames dancing in the reflection of those golden eyes. Either way, Sirius felt the blood rush to his head and his heart skip a beat as he leaned in to press his lips to Remus's. 

He came back to himself immediately. Pulling away and apologizing over and over as he turned back to face the bar, the flames from their shots still going strong. 

"Really Moony" he fumbled, shaking his head. "I... I'm probably _drunk_ and... and I'm _so_ sorr-"

"You're not drunk" Remus said, his voice low and breathy as he leaned in ever so slightly. "You've only had one drink." He laughed a laugh that was different than Sirius had heard before. "You did 13 shots in a row at grad night and still danced a perfect tango with Mcgonagall...." 

Sirius turned to look back at Remus. "You're right" he breathed, leaning in a little too. "I'm _not_ drunk.... are you?"

Remus smiled and scooted his barstool closer. "Not even a little."

"Good" Sirius mumbled, his forehead pressed gently against Remus's. "That's... _good..."_

"Yea... good" Remus whispered, and Sirius could taste the alcohol on his breath as their lips crashed into each other with all the force the years of longing afforded them. 

Sirius felt Remus's tongue brush against his, and in that moment decided every second he wasn't kissing Remus was a waste, and every kiss he had had before was a tragedy. There was no coming up for air, they simply breathed each other in as the entire club was drowned out by the moment. 

"This is _great_ and all that" Pete said, grinning a knowing grin as he walked up and yelled over the loud music. "But Pads... your hair is on fire."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts?


	6. YOLO

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> James.  
> Fireworks.  
> Yolo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No hair was harmed in the making of this chapter 😂

I'm just feeling a little _DejaVu-_ ish is all" Pete sighed, adjusting a large paper sack on his lap as he pulled his seatbelt on. 

"Honestly Wormy" Sirius laughed. "It's going to be _fine!"_

"Yea, you worry too much mate!" James said, slamming his car door excitedly and starting the car. 

"Ok yea" Remus said, nodding his head in thought. "Yea, I _definitely_ heard it that time Pete. DejaVu for sure."

 _"Right?!"_ Pete exclaimed. "It's practically standard operating procedure for us at this point. You hear ' _oh no everything will be fine Wormtail_ ' or ' _stop being such a fun-sponge Wormtail_ '... then _Boom!"_ -He flailed his arms suddenly, making everyone in the car jump- "next thing you know I'm being carried off campus in my boxers by some strange bloke in a fireman suit!"

"That was _one_ time!" James said defensively.

"You were the one who asked for lemon meringue pie Pete" Sirius shrugged. "That one was on you..." 

"Setting the kitchenette on fire was not a step in the recipe, Pads" Peter deadpanned. 

"I don't know Petey" Remus said, "part of the directions _were_ to 'torch the merengue'... I have to go with Sirius here. That one was on _you."_

  
New years eve was always a huge celebration for their group, but this coming year in particular was something special. They'd be entering their last term of University in January and would be released into the world as actual _real-life_ adults. 

Sirius and Remus already had a modest one-bedroom picked out in the city, but Mary and Pete were planning to leave for graduate school a few hours south. Lily and James would get married in the summer and were talking about buying a house soon afterward so they could start a family one day, while Marlene and Dorcas were looking into flats in the next city over to be closer to Dorcas's family.

In short, their group would be splitting up, and there was no guarantee that they would spend another new years eve all together at the Potters, counting down the last seconds of the year, and drinking _way_ too much cheap champagne. So they wanted to go out with a bang. 

"This is... just _way_ too many fireworks" Lily laughed, pulling things out of the huge bag Pete had carried outside. 

It was nearly midnight, so they decided to get started on the light show by making themselves cozy on blankets on the Potters front lawn. Sirius moved a few cars so there was space to light the fireworks on the driveway at a distance that everyone had haphazardly deemed _'safe enough'._

James gasped in his most dramatic fashion. "You can _never_ have _too many_ fireworks Lily." 

"He's right" Dorcas said, nodding enthusiastically as she pulled out a massive box. "This is perfect!"

"I call this one!" James shouted, snatching the large box from Dorcas and dodging the kick she aimed at him. 

"I don't know James..." Marlene laughed, her eyebrows raised skeptically. "Remember the last time we put you in charge of a lighter?"

"Marly Marly Marly..." James sighed "it's going to be _fine!_ Plus, that was 4 years ago!"

"I already tried" Pete said, cutting off Marlene's protests before she could start. "Don't bother" he added with a laughed. 

"Maybe we should start with the small ones" Mary offered, holding up some sparklers. 

"Come on Mare" James whined, holding the big box tighter and giving it a little shake. _"YOLO,_ am I right?"

"Literally no one says YOLO anymore Prongs" Remus deadpanned.

But James had already put the box down and pulled his lighter out. _"YOLO!"_ He shouted, lighting the fuse and running like hell back to the group. 

They all watched excitedly as the fuse burned away, and the spark moved closer to the box. James moved behind Lily, holding her to his chest and covering her ears. Sirius and Remus huddled closer together, their hands intertwined with huge grins on their faces while Marlene and Dorcas mimicked a drum roll with their lips and Mary and Pete moved back a few steps- just in case. 

Right about the time Dorcas and Marlene had run out of breath, it happened. 

The box fell over onto its side and a steady and aggresive stream fireworks blasted their way right to where Sirius had parked all of the cars. 

Screaming and ducking for cover, the friends watched in horror as little explosions left at least one dent on every vehicle there, and it wasn't until a full 60 seconds of silence had passed by that anyone felt safe to come out from hiding behind the various chairs and porch columns they were using as shields. 

"Well..." Pete said into the silence as everyone walked over to assess the damage. "I feel like we all learned a valuable lesson here today."

"And what is that, Wormy?" Sirius asked, waving his hand around in the air in an attempt to clear away the lingering smoke. 

"That we should listen to me more often."

 _"Yea"_  
_"He's got a point."_  
_"...that's fair."_  
_"Maybe you're right"_ they mumbled. 

But everyone knew they would never listen. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up that I'll be changing my username soon to match my wattpad 🙃


	7. Proposal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The 7th fire, and a proposal. As advertised 🙃

Before he even opened the door to the loft he shared with Sirius, Remus could hear the low crooning of Freddie Mercury coming down the hall. He paused for a moment and allowed himself the time to reflect on the life he had made for himself. His life he loved so much. His life with Sirius. 

"Moons" Sirius called nervously from their bedroom as Remus opened the front door. "Is that you?"

"Yea, it's me love" Remus said, tossing his bag aside quickly and following the palpable feeling of anxiety coming from his boyfriend down the hall. "What's wrong? What happ-" He cut himself off as he hurried into the room, taking in the whole scene in a single glance. 

Their bed was moved to the side to make space for what looked like at least 2 dozen candles on the hardwood floor, some lit and some not, and even more candles on the dresser and nightstand. The curtain that covered the window on Remus's side of the bed was pulled down, and there was a small flame flickering under the pile of cotton. In the middle of the floor was Sirius's silky black robe covered in what appeared to be foam. 

Sirius was bouncing from one foot to the other, anxiously shaking the fire extinguisher he was holding as he spun around to meet Remus's wide eyes. 

Remus took the extinguisher quickly and wordlessly as he moved to put out the flame. 

"Why is this empty?" He grunted looking down at the gage when nothing came out. 

"I don't know Remus!" Sirius whined. "Someone must have used it... what do we _do!?"_

"You have to get out of here... _right now"_ Remus said, looking once around the room before jogging out.

"What?!" Sirius yelled, not following. "I am _naked,_ Remus!"

"I've _noticed,_ Sirius!" Remus called from the next room. 

He ran back into the bedroom, his bath robe in one hand and a second fire extinguisher in the other. _"Go,_ Sirius. Call the fire department" he said determinedly as he handed the robe to Sirius and pulled the pin on the extinguisher. 

Sirius stood there frozen for a moment before he leapt across the room to grab his leather jacket from his side of the bed. 

"Sirius, _go!"_ Remus shouted again as the foam began to cover the quickly rising flames.

"Remus... come on!" Sirius shouted. Not wanting to leave without him. "Come with me!"

"I got this! Just go!" 

"No! I'm _not_ leaving without you" he shouted, tossing his jacket into the hall and dropping down to blow out the remaining candles that were still lit on the floor. 

Remus half growled and half sighed, frustrated at Sirius's stubbornness, but not at all surprised by it as they worked together to put out the rapdily growing fire. It took nearly 5 full minutes -which felt like a lifetime- to snuff out every tiny flame, and by the time they were finished the second extinguisher was empty as well. 

Just as they were stumbling out of the smokey room, trying desperately to catch their breath, the buildings fire alarm went off. 

"Wow" Remus said sarcastically, coughing slightly still as he and Sirius made their way toward the door. "A little late on the smoke detector." 

"Guess I better go explain what happened to the firefighters..." Sirius said, still out of breath and shaking from nerves. 

"Yea" Remus scoffed, "then you can explain what the fuck happened to _me."_

They made their way into the hall as the other tenants from the building hurried out. 

_"Oh wait!"_ Sirius said suddenly, turning to run back into their apartment. 

"Sirius?" 

"I just need my jacket!" Sirius called back. 

They met with the fire department and explained that they had put the fire out, and waited while the crew did a full scale fire check of the building.

Standing outside in an oversized bathrobe with the firetruck lights flashing and them both covered in foam was not really what Sirius had planned for the night. 

"Holy shit..." a low voice called behind them. 

"James?" Remus said, turning in surprise to see his friend. "What are you doing here?" 

"Sirius called me looking for the fire extinguisher" he said, shaking his head in shock. "So I figured I better just come by."

"I said I had it handled" Sirius said loftily. 

James just rolled his eyes. _"Clearly..."_ he deadpanned.

"Wait..." Remus said, turning to face his boyfriend. "The apartment was on fire and your first thought was ' _oh let me call my good buddy Prongs_ ' and not the fire department?" 

"I had it _handled"_ Sirius reiterated. "I just needed the fire extinguisher. It wasn't my fault it was nearly _empty!"_

Remus was rubbing his temples and shaking his head. 

"Didn't _you_ use it to put out that fire in the bathroom a few months ago?" James asked thoughtfully. 

"Bathroom fire....?" Remus said, eyebrows raised as he looked back to Sirius. "Is _that_ why you randomly decided we needed a new shower curtain?!"

"Umm... well... I killed a lizard by accident and... we wanted to give him a.... a... Viking funeral. You know..."

Remus stared at Sirius for a long moment, then took a deep, cleansing breath. "No more fire in the apartment" he said simply. 

"I think Moony is... _mad"_ James said, a little sarcastically. "I don't think I've ever seen you mad before Moons."

"Why are you mad?" Sirius asked. "You set fires _all the time..."_

"In a _laboratory classroom!"_ Remus said, exasperated. "In a controlled and _safe_ environment for the educational benefit of my students!" 

"Yea... He's got you there Pads..." James interjected helpfully. "Remus never set a fire because he was dancing around a bunch of candles in a silk robe that caught fire.... and then _panicked."_

Remus pointed dramatically to James in agreement as if presenting his argument in full. 

"Why are you still here" Sirius deadpanned to James.

"I didn't want to miss this" James said, failing to hide his grin. 

"This is hardly the first encounter with evacuation due to a fire we have had to deal with" Remus said letting out a small, tired chuckle has he sat down on the curb with his head in his hands. "Probably won't be the last either..." 

James and Sirius had a silent but intense argument with their eyes before Sirius took a seat next to Remus on the curb, stretching his legs out so as not to flash anyone. 

"I'm _really_ sorry, Moons" he said, resting his forehead to Remus's shoulder. "I wanted tonight to be special and... I killed it."

"I was just so scared when I saw you standing there so close to the fire" Remus said, his voice cracking slightly with emotion. "And then you wouldn't leave and..." he cut himself off, clearing his throat. 

"Oh look at _that..._ I think I'm getting a phone call" James said loudly and unconvincingly. _"Hello?"_ He said, holding his phone upside down to his ear as he walked away. 

"I wasn't going to leave you there to fix _my mess,_ Rem."

"I know you like celebrating anniversaries and firsts and all that..." Remus sighed "but I really would have been happy with just a dinner."

"5 years together is a big deal..." Sirius said, giving him a little smile. "Definitely deserves more than just a dinner." 

Remus turned to look at Sirius for a moment, nodding as he wrapped his arms around him. The fire trucks were loaded up, and Remus gave an apologetic wave and smile to the chief as they drove away. It was over. They were safe. _Sirius_ was safe.

They sat there on the curb for a long time, both dreading going back upstairs to clean the mess, despite the cold that was slowly moving in for the night. 

"I love you" Sirius mumbled into Remus's chest. 

"I love you too" Remus said, squeezing a little tighter. "So fucking much." 

"Even though I nearly burned down the loft?"

Remus let out a chuckle as he stood up, pulling Sirius up with him. "Yes. I love you even though you nearly burned down the loft" He said. "...which _apparently_ happens more often than I thought."

"You like the new shower curtain" Sirius said, giving Remus a poke in the side. 

"Yea..." he laughed. "Guess we better head back up. We can order pizza before we clean up the mess."

"Remus, wait." Sirius said quickly, pulling Remus's hand back as he started toward the building. "Before we go back in there and face what I _hope_ will be a fun anecdote we can laugh about in the future-" he smiled as Remus let out another chuckle. "-there is something I want to ask you..."

He dropped down to one knee, pulling the bottom of the robe roughly together when he felt a breeze, and looked up at Remus. 

"Remus John Lupin" he started, pulling a box out of the pocket of the leather jacket he had grabbed on the way out. "I can't promise you there won't be fires to put out... but I can promise that I'll never _ever_ leave you to put them out alone." He took a deep trembling breath and opened the box, tears welling up in his eyes as he saw the same happening to Remus. "Will you marry me?"

Remus let out his own shaky breath as he nodded his head, one hand on his chest, and one held out for Sirius to put the ring on. "Yes" he whispered hoarsely. "Yes yes _yes!"_

Sirius stood up, grinning ear to ear and kissed Remus like it was their very first time. The night had not gone exactly to plan, but Remus had said yes, and he couldn't imagine there was a happier man on the face of the earth than he was in that moment. 

_"Whoo!"_ James shouted excitedly from where he was standing by his car. "Did he say yes?! Tell me you said yes Moons!" 

"Go home James!" Sirius called across the parking lot, laughing lightly as he leaned in for another kiss. 

"I got it on video. Do you want me to send it to you?" James added, waving his phone for them to see. "You can't hear anything... but it looks like Remus is crying a little, so that's fun..."

Sirius and Remus ignored him. 

"Can you guys hear me?" He yelled with his hands cupped to his mouth. 

Sirius and Remus both flipped him off, not turning their attention from each other as James scoffed and got into his car. 

_"Rude"_ he shouted from his rolled down window. "I guess I'll just head home then..." 

It was right about that time that the texts and calls came in. Apparently James had sent the video out to all of their friends, and everyone was singing their congratulations. But Sirius and Remus heard none of it as they turned their phones off and enjoyed their first night as a newly engaged couple while they scrubbed foam off of the floor of their bedroom, happier than they had ever been.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a nice and needed break from the long fic I've been writing. Thanks for reading. I hope you have enjoyed it!


End file.
